Illinois Insights: An update from Cozen O’Connor (4/2)

ILLINOIS

AROUND THE STATE

Illinois AG Kwame Raoul warns legal community against ‘being complicit’ with Trump 

“Hours after joining 22 other states in filing a lawsuit aimed at President Donald Trump’s cuts to health services, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul told a City Club of Chicago crowd Tuesday that the legal community needs to stand up against what he described as intimidation and unlawful acts by the White House,” by the Chicago Tribune.

Pritzker signs trade agreement between Illinois and Mexico 

“Pritzker signed the Addendum to the Illinois-Mexico Sister-State Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) alongside Mexico Governor Delfina Gómez Álvarez. The agreement signed by Pritzker affirms commitment to continued trade and manufacturing collaborations with a focus on biotechnology and water resources,” by WCIA.

Illinois schools had another year to spend $77M in federal COVID relief. Not anymore.

“Dozens of Illinois schools believed they had another year to spend a collective $77 million remaining in COVID-19 relief funds. But the U.S. Department of Education told states last Friday that they would not uphold extension deadlines for remaining dollars, according to state education officials,” by Chalkbeat.

DOJ asks judge to deny IL’s motion to dismiss migrant sanctuary lawsuit 

“Arguing Illinois’ migrant sanctuary policies “allow criminal illegal aliens to move freely throughout the United States, inflicting harm on victims that would have been averted had the alien been detained,” the DOJ moved Tuesday to deny the motion to dismiss from Chicago, Cook County and the state of Illinois,” by The Center Square.

IL bill giving moms paid break time to feed their babies passes committee 

“The proposal passed the Senate labor committee on a partisan 12-5 vote. Now the bill will head to the Senate floor, where lawmakers could talk about it in the coming weeks,” by WAND.

CHICAGO

MORE FROM CITY HALL

Johnson calls special City Council meeting next week to confirm new 35th Ward alderperson 

“Mayor Brandon Johnson has called a special City Council meeting for next Monday to confirm his choice of Cook County Commissioner Anthony Quezada as the new alderperson of the 35th Ward. Quezada would replace former Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, (35th), who spent his first day on the job as Chicago Park District Superintendent and CEO Tuesday,” by the Chicago Sun-Times.

Progressive Caucus leaders want assurances from Brandon Johnson

“An alleged City Council leadership shake-up that may have never gone beyond a spitballing session has nonetheless caused strain between Mayor Brandon Johnson and the leaders of the Progressive Caucus,” by Crain’s Chicago Business.

Chicago Teachers Have a Tentative Contract Agreement. From Pay Raises to Class Sizes, Here’s What It Includes

“The Chicago Teachers Union announced a tentative contract agreement with Chicago Public Schools officials Tuesday, capping nearly a year of tense negotiations that pitted union leaders allied with Mayor Brandon Johnson against CPS CEO Pedro Martinez,” by WTTW.

Downtown office vacancy hits new high for 11th straight quarter 

“The downtown office vacancy rate edged up to 26.5% at the end of March from 26.3% at the beginning of the year, according to data from real estate services firm CBRE. The share of available workspace has now hit record highs for 11 straight quarters and is up from 13.8% when the public health crisis began,” by Crain’s Chicago Business.

Debate resumes over 8 p.m. curfew for teens downtown after boy is shot during ‘teen takeover’ in Streeterville

“Residents, including a Streeterville neighborhood group, are now calling on Mayor Brandon Johnson to stop the “reckless and unlawful behavior.” A downtown alderman has also promised to revive a stalled City Council bid to install an 8 p.m. unaccompanied minor curfew,” by the Chicago Tribune.

City Opens Applications For More Than 400 Vacant Properties To Boost Redevelopment 

“The city of Chicago is now considering proposals for the purchase and redevelopment of hundreds of vacant land parcels, including dozens of sites designated for a program aimed at boosting the city’s middle class,” by Block Club Chicago.

FEDERAL

Cozen Currents – Trump’s Full Court Press

Litigiousness is not a bug, but a feature, of Trump 2.0 with the goal of taking some priorities to the Supreme Court and setting new precedents while overturning some existing ones.

Republicans are signaling that they intend to use budget reconciliation to raise the debt limit to avoid negotiating with Democrats. That might be easier said than done though.

Both parties are incentivized to kick the can down the road on Social Security reform due to the unpopularity of a comprehensive solution, but with nonpartisan projections suggesting a fix is needed within the next 10 years, one or both parties will need to step up in the not-so-distant future.

Read the Cozen Currents here.

Beltway Briefing – The Shutdown That Wasn’t

The first quarter of 2025 has been a wild ride in Washington, from the government shutdown that wasn’t to a shifting political battleground between the executive branch and the courts. Featuring Public Strategies’ Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kyle Anderson.

Listen to the Beltway Briefing here.

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